In many different manufacturing industries the manufactured goods are packaged in packaging units, such as cartons, for example, which are then placed on load pallets for onward transport. Such placing of packaging units on a load pallet is often termed palleting. Several layers of packaging units are usually stacked on top of one another on each pallet.
In order to make optimum use of the space on a load pallet, each layer of packaging units is first grouped before the layer is lifted onto the pallet. Such grouping means that each packaging unit is given a specific position and orientation relative to each other packaging unit in each layer.
In order to give the stack of packaging units on the loaded pallet good stability, each adjoining layer should have a different grouping configuration, so that packaging units in the one layer bear against more than one packaging unit in the other layer. This creates a frictional interlock between the layers, which helps to prevent the stack falling apart.
In many industries, such as the brewery industry, for example, with large production flows, it is very important that the palleting and grouping of packaging units can be carried out at high speed, since these factors otherwise limit the speed of the entire production process.